'She's got a son going to Iraq': How John McCain defended Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience

John McCain has defended his running mate Sarah Palin's foreign policy experience by noting her eldest son is about to be deployed to Iraq.

The Republican nominee also noted Ms Palin's roles as commander of the Alaska National Guard and experience negotiating with oil companies for a natural gas pipeline as boosts to her foreign policy credentials.

Mr McCain spoke out after a member of the public asked Ms Palin if she had the credentials to take over as president if necessary.

Ms Palin answered confidently, even challenging her questioner to play "stump-the-candidate" on foreign policy questions - and Mr McCain elaborated.

Mr McCain takes a step back as Ms Palin answers a question during yesterday's town hall meeting - the first time she has taken questions directly from the public

“She has been commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard," he was quoted as saying.

He also said that since Ms Palin had a son being deployed to Iraq, "I think she understands national security challenges," - though he muddled the dates on which Ms Palin's son Track is being deployed.

His deployment ceremony was held on September 11 and he goes later this month, though officials will not say exactly when.

Mr McCain also asserted that as governor of an oil-producing state Mrs Palin had “obvious knowledge of the energy security issue”, which was of vital concern to the US.

He was rewarded when Ms Palin symbolically butted in while he was talking during a town hall meeting yesterday.

After Mr McCain had responded to a question about the threat of Islamic extremism, she interrupted: "John, John, can I add something?"

Ms Palin has been largely shielded from the press and public since her surprise pick as the Republican Party's vice presidential candidate.

She argued that Mr McCain's support for sending thousands more U.S. troops to Iraq put the country on the cusp of victory and was freeing it to focus elsewhere in its battle against terrorists.

"We must win there so that we can win in Afghanistan also," Ms Palin said. "He knows how to win a war."

During the more than hour-long session in a steamy gymnasium at Grand Rapids Community College, she also rejected those who question whether she can balance being a mother of five, including a newborn with Down syndrome, with being vice president.

"Let's prove 'em wrong," she told her questioner.

She noted that she was pregnant as governor and carried out her duties.

Ms Palin also criticised President George Bush and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman for recently traveling to Saudi Arabia to ask OPEC to increase oil production to help reduce skyrocketing U.S. gasoline prices.

The governor said she was "disappointed" by the actions, adding: "That's nonsense, when we have the domestic supplies here in America."

Earlier yesterday, Ms Palin sat down for her second television interview since her selection on August 29.

She said in an interview airing on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" that Democrats were out of bounds for criticizing Mr McCain after he said the fundamentals of the economy are strong.

"It was an unfair attack on the verbiage that Sen. McCain chose to use because the fundamentals, as he was having to explain afterward, he means our work force, he means the ingenuity of the American people. And of course, that is strong and that is the foundation of our economy," she said.

Mr Obama and his fellow Democrats have been hammering Mr McCain for maintaining Monday that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" even as Wall Street spiraled downward.

By that afternoon, with the markets falling amid other bad financial news, Mr McCain had adopted a more dire tone. He now is calling the financial woes "one of the most severe crises in modern times."

Ms Palin also said she watched comedian Tina Fey impersonate her last weekend on the television comedy show, "Saturday Night Live" - but only with the volume turned off.

"I thought it was hilarious. I thought she was spot on," Ms Palin said. "Didn't hear a word she said, but the visual, spot on."

She said people in Alaska have remarked on the similarities for years, and that she once dressed as Ms Fey for Halloween.